A retable is a decorated superstructure behind an altar. The Latin name RETRO TABULUM literally means 'reverse table' or retable, also called an altarpiece.
It usually consists of several panels, attached to each other with or without hinges. It is frequently a form of mixed media combining painting and sculpture.
The format of the Christian retable has been used here for profane representations of the dark side of folklore. These are historically documented incidents in which the people take the law into their own hands in violation of the state's monopoly on violence, a punitive ritual known as charivari.